Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Here's week 26's pic. My husband is definitely camera-challenged grrrr.... guess he was looking at my belly because half my head is cut off. Tomorrow is the last day before break. I also have two appointments tomorrow related to the GD, so I will find out what I can and can't eat and the details on how to manage this. But in overall, no complaints. Still feeling good!

We have been getting some peeks at spring yesterday and today. (Let's ignore for now the fact that another snow storm is coming tomorrow). Yesterday we took advantage of the sunshine and relatively warmer weather and all went for a walk. It felt great.I've been so burned out in the evenings that all I can manage is straight up knitting, so figlet's baby blanket is cruising right along. I have three of the four squares done- just the green and white striped one left. Then I'll have the cabled border and the circle embroidery left. That project and my Feb Lady Sweater will be traveling down to New Orleans with us.I haven't done any sewing since Juan got back, but here are some bibs I whipped up that week. I still need to add the snaps.Remember the white and green stroller jacket I started over xmas break? (It coordinates with the blanket I'm working on now.) I still need to add the sherpa fleece lining and the zipper, but I've finished the knitting part and most of the embroidery.The hood has such a cute detail.This has been a fun project that I work on between bigger projects.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Meridith and Eben both got mittens for Christmas. Meridith's gift I actually picked up last April as a kit from Fleece Artist when we were at the Yarnover event in Minneapolis. She has a raspberry colored vest, and the colors in the yarn and fleece made me think of that. The kit came with the materials needed to make a pair of thrummed mittens, which is a fun process for the knitter with warm results for the recipient.The little nubs of color you see in the mitten are the thrums, which is just fleece on the other side. So, the idea is that the inside layer of fleece will eventually mat together and form another layer of warmth. Here's a shot of the mitten guts:I then had the brilliant idea of making a similar style hat for Eben, but couldn't find a thrummed hat pattern. So, I decided to embark on my own knitted design adventure. I was about done on it, when I gave the hat for Juan to try on. Do you remember Super Mario Brothers, the Nintendo game or Saturday morning cartoon? With those little mushrooms with red or green caps with white polka dots? Well... let's just say the hat was green with white thrums and I had made it way too big. The fleece on the inside made it stiffly keep the mushroom-cap shape. I would have taken a picture, but I was laughing too hard. So on to plan B. Flip-top mittens from Handknit Holidays.I added a snap so they wouldn't flop when flipped. So, it's warm hands for everyone this winter!

Pregnancy has certainly been a learning experience. I have always been very healthy- heck, I don't have a single cavity for Pete's sake! No major hospital dramas or past health histories. Nothing except less-than-perfect vision and a need for braces due to a destructive thumb-sucking habit. Well, since getting pregnant the learning has certainly increased.

First, I found out I have a weird type of blood that is basically a mutant positive protein- none of the midwives and nurses had any idea what was going on and had to call in a doctor to explain it to them and me. Hence, I'll be getting the Rhogam shot in a couple of weeks because my goofy positive protein acts like a negative blood type.

Now, I've been told that I have gestational diabetes. Despite the fact that I exercise regularly and have a well-balanced, healthy diet. There is nothing I could do to prevent it, which is supposed to make me feel better about pricking my finger four times a day. I can't say it does.

On a more positive note, Juan and I are looking forward to our upcoming vacation. We're following the Mississippi River down to New Orleans, stopping in St. Louis and Memphis along the way. We're staying in a B&B down there, in our own little cottage with a porch and courtyard. I cannot wait for the change in scene and am especially looking forward to the abundance of seafood awaiting us!

Monday, February 09, 2009

Baby update: Figlet is fine and doing well. At the last ultrasound they couldn't see the fourth heart chamber, but my midwife said all the reports she received that week said the same thing, so we weren't worried. If fact, we were happy to get to see him again, and all the chambers were there and working away.

In these cold, dark nights before bed there is little else to do than knit. Between Christmas knitting and the drive home, I finished my version of Norah Gaughn's Tilted Duster. I was going to make it cropped when I bought the yarn last year, but considering my recent Juliet is cropped, I decided to make it a full-length cardigan. It somehow looks dwarfed next to the 23-week belly, though.The last sweater's-worth of yarn in my stash is for a February Lady Sweater. I purchased the yarn in VA this summer and ended up frogging the yoke I had done then because I couldn't remember where I had left off, and I didn't like my button holes. I have since re-done the yoke and button holes, but have yet to take a pic. You can see the color I'm using here, though. It's a deep eggplant. The yarn is Mission Falls 1824 superwash wool, and I really like the texture and color. It's been great to work with so far.

Figlet's first knitted item is a sleeper from Jil Eaton's new baby book. I used Nature spun wool in sage with light blue accents. The stitch was new to me; it's called bird's eye and gives the garment a nice texture.The little mitten hands can't be seen well here because at this point I had not sewed them on yet. The largest size the pattern came in was 6 months, so I hope it still fits him for his first winter.

Friday, February 06, 2009

First and foremost due to popular demand by relatives and friends, here's the most recent, hot-off-the-presses belly pic:The stress at work continues to suck up way too much time, but the big D is progressing in spite of it all, and my only salvation is getting home and being crafty. So, without further ado, here are my recently finished and current projects:Sewing has recently taken up some time, as it yields quicker results than knitting, and right now I need to feel productive in all facets of life. So, figlet gets his first mommmy-made bib:I still need to add the snaps and iron it, but you get the idea. This is exactly like the ones I made for Graham, Jack, and Ella, and I finally got to do one for my baby!

The applique craze is alive and well at the FIG house. Last month, I got to spend an evening at Kate's house with a bunch of other folks appliqueing the night away. She had this cute hippo fabric that I cut up and used to populate a onesie.She also had this little Boston Terrier swatch that she gave me, knowing I'm partial to the breed :) So, Mobi gets to star in her own onesie:My other sewing project will take up a bit more time, but here is the beginning of it:Sorry to post and run, but we're off to see figlet in another ultrasound! I'll be posting again this weekend with knitting updates.